Machine for making and laying underground tile.



w. w. @L 1. s. WATSON.

MACHINE vFOR MAKING AND LAYING UNDERDROUND IILIl APPLICATION FILED MAY I3, I9I6.

1,218,727. I' Pat@nIedMa1-.13,`1917.

`M5M WW ST FAB i' FE1@ WILLIAM W. WATSON AND .TAI/ins s. WATSON, or KANsAs CITY, MISSOURI.

MACHINE FOR MAKING AND LAYING UNDERGROUND TILE.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Application filed May 13, 1916. Serial No. 97,440.

making and laying underground tile and' has for its object to produce a machine of. this character which operates eiiiciently andv embodies the desirable features of simplicity, strength, durability and cheapness of construction..

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed;

and in order that the invention may be fullyl understood reference is to be had to the acy companying drawing, in which- Figure 1, is a central vertical longitudinal section of a machine embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3, is a front View.

Fig. 11, is an enlarged horizontal section of the cement condensing tube and shows the slot producing knives.

In the said drawings 1 is a suitable frame composed preferably of a pair vof parallel bars secured together and adapted t'o be connected to any suitable tractor or power for operation purposes. Secured rigidly to and depending from said frame is a standard 2, the front edge of which is sharpened asy at 3 and said standard is adapted tobc partly embedded in the ground andl cut its way through the latter as the machine is drawn forward, and secured to the lower end of said standard is a pointed cylinder 4c for producing a cylindrical underground passage, said cylinder having a cross piece 5 at its rear end for a purpose which hereinafter appears.

6 is a vertical tube secured to the rear edge of the cutting standard 2, communicatingat its lower end with the interior'of the pointed cylinder i and secured to the rear vedge of said tube and to said frame 1 is a feed tube 7, which with tube 6 is of substantially the same width as the standard 2 so that tube 6 and feed tube 7 may oifer no material resistance to the travel of the machine.

The upper end of the feed tube communicates with the hopper 8, wherein semi-liquid cement may be deposited or mixed. The lower end ofthe feed tube communicates with thel cylinder 9 of substantially the same diameter as and forming practically a con tinuation of the pointed cylinder d, and said cylinder 9 is provided with a longitudinal slit 'or slot 9a, and with a pair of central bearings 10 and 11 supported by vertical arms 12 running to the wall of the cylinder. A small guide tube 13 extends through the cross piece'5 of the pointed cylinder 4: and projects beyond the rear end of cylinder 9, and secured on the rear end of said tube is a conical spreader 14:, the pointed end of the same extending into-the rear end of cylinder 9 and tting in the bearing 11 so as to be supported in concentric relation to cylinder 9 and to hold the rear end of the tube 13 concentricallythereof.

The conical spreader at its point of largest Y diameter is of substantially the same diameter as the internal diameter of cylinder 9 and is formed with a circumferential recess 15 at its rear/end for receiving the front end of a cylindrical cement condensing device 16, the eXternal'd-ia'meter of said device at its front end being substantially equal to the diameter ofthe conical spreader at its point of greatest diameter, and at such end is pivoted foi` vertical movement on a cross piece 17 mounted on the rear end of the guide tube 13. rlhecondensing device or cylinder 16 is of gradually increasing die ameter toward its rearend so that as it is drawn through the mass of cement, as hereinafter explained, it will tightly plaster the same against the wallsof the passage produced by the pointed cylinder.

Pivoted to lugs 18 within the cylinder 16 and at opposite sides ofthe same is a pair of drain-slot producing knives `19, springs 20 secured to the lugs and bearing against the cylinder 16 and the knives for the purpose of holding the latter projecting outward beyond the rear. end of the cylinder as shown in Fig. 4:, so'thatin the travel of the cylinder, said knives shall cut slots in opposite sides of the tile being laid.

21 is a cable attached at its rear end to the knives and extending through the guide tube 13 and then around sheave 22 in the lower end of tube 6 up through the latter and over a sheave 23 at the upper end of the same to a lever 24 fulcrumed on lug 25 esv mounted on the upper end of standard 2, and said lever is provided with a gravity pawl 26 for engaging a stationary toothed sector 27. rlhe arrangement is such that when the lever is drawn back the cable draws the knives inward to inoperative position, the engagement of the pawl with the rear tooth of the sector holding the knives in such position.

Vf hen it is desired lto set the knives in operative position as shown in F ig. t, the pawl is tripped to permit the springs to throw the knives outward, the pull thereon of the cable swinging the lever to the position shown Vin Fig. 1. l/Vith the parts in this position it will be apparent that should the Vknives encounter an unyielding obstruction such as the point of a rock they will yield inwardly to avoid injury.

Coupled to the rear side of and in lineV with the tube 7 is a trame 28 within which is journaled a heavy grooved roller 29, this roller being adapted by compression to close the opening produced in the ground by the standard 3 and to pack the loosened ground tightly down upon the cylinder 9, and to coperate with this roller a heavy drag 30 is coupled to the rear end of the frame 28, this drag extending from the rear end of cylinder 9 to about the rear end of the condensing cylinder 16. The drag 30 offers a resistance to upward movement to the soil under the application of force applied thereto by said slightly tapered cylinder 16.

Y 'llo operate this machine a shallow trench is dug which will about equal the machine in length. The machine is then placed in the trench and if the bottom ot' the trench is not level the condensing cylinder is free to pivotally assume a position which accom-J modates the ground level below it, and thus relieve the machine of the necessity of supporting the cylinder 16 in a horizontal position. It the cylinder 16 were rigidly secured in place it is obvious that it would exert considerable injurious leverage at times on the rod 13 to which it is attached.

Assuming that the machine has been set in a trench and the hopper has been charged with cement in semi-fluid condition, it will be seen that as the machine is drawn forward the pointed cylinder will be forced through the soil and produce a cylindrical passage therein.V At thesame time the cement in and entering the cylinder 9, will seep through the slot of said cylinder and come in contact with the wall of the passage, and the cement being in a semi-fluid condition will flow toward the rea-r end of the cylinder 9 and out of the same around the spreader 14, this discharge of the semi-fluid cement being facilitated by reason of the tendency of the cement seeping through the slot of the cylinder 9 to adhere to the wall of the passage. As the spreader is drawn through the mass of cement issuing from the rear end of the cylinder 9, it begins the v.tormation of the hollow tile by spreading the cement to approximately the desired wall thickness against the wall of the passage, the cylinder 16 continuing this operation and completing the formation ot' the tile as at T, and the knives producing drain slots t, in the sides of the tile.

The machine will travel slowly and the cement will be of the quick setting character so that it will set with sufficient hardness to retain its shape after the cylinder 16 has passed by, having acquired suitlicient hardness, furthermore, to withstand the cutting operation of the knives without collapsing, it being understood of course that the curved portion of the weighted roller and ot' the drag tend to compress the overlying soil in the formY of an arch so that the soil shall carry its own weight and not impose it directly upon the tile when in its green state.

lVith a machine of this character the tile can be made and laid underground rapidly and eiiiciently and we wish it to be understood that while we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention we reserve the right to make all changes falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A machine for making and laying underground tile, comprising a suitable frame, a vertical standard extending downward from the frame and sharpened at its front edge, a cylinder provided with a pointed front end secured horizontally to the lower end of said standard, a hollow cylinder alined with and extending rearwardly from the pointed cylinder and provided with a longitudinal slot in its wall, means to supply semi-fluid cement to the last-named cylinder so that cement may seep through the slot in the wall of the cylinder, and means movable with said cylinders for spreading outwardly the cement which escapes from the rear end of the slotted cylinder when the machine is in motion.

2. A machine for making and laying underground tile, comprising a suit-able Jframe, a vertical standard extending downwardly from the frame and sharpened at its front edge, a cylinder provided with a pointed front end secured horizontally to the lower end of said standard, a cylinder in line with and rearward of the pointed cylinder, means to supply semi-Huid cement to the lastnamed cylinder, a conical spreader arranged coaxially with said cylinder and adapted to spread outwardly the cement passing rearwardly through the said last-named cylinder, and a condensing cylinder arranged coaxially and extending rearwardly from the conical spreader.

3. A machine for making and laying un 130 derground tile, comprising a suitable frame, a vertical 'standard extending downwardly from the frame and sharpened at its front edge, a cylinder provided with a pointed front end secured horizontally to the lower end of said standard, a cylinder in line with and rearward of the pointed cylinder, means to supply semi-iiuid cement to the last-named cylinder, a conical spreader arranged coaxially with said cylinder and adapted to spread outwardly the cement passing rearwardly through the said lastnamed cylinder, a condensing cylinder arranged coaxially of and extending rearwardly from the conical spreader, and one or more knives carried by the condensing cylinder for producing a drain slot or slots in the cement tile.

et. A machine for making and laying underground tile, comprising a suitable frame, a vertical standard extending downwardly from the frame and sharpened at its front edge, a cylinder provided with a pointed iront end secured horizontally to the lower end of said standard, a cylinder in line with and rearward of the pointed'cylinder, means to supply semi-fluid cement to the lastnamed cylinder, a'conical spreader arranged coaxially with said cylinder and adapted to spread outwardly the cement passing rearwardly through the said last-named cylinder, a condensing cylinder arranged coaxially of and extending rearwardly from the conical spreader, one or more knives carried by the condensing cylinder for producing a drain hole or holes in the cement tile, and means for moving the knives to and securing them in inoperative position.

5. A machine for making and laying underground tile, comprising a suitable frame,

a vertical standard extending downwardlyl from the frame and sharpened at its front edge, a cylinder provided with a pointed Copies of this patent may be obtained for front end secured horizontally tothe lower end oi' said standard, a cylinder in line with and rearward of the pointed cylinder, means to supply semi-fluid cement to the last-named cylinder, a conical spreader arranged coaxially with said cylinder and adapted to spread outwardly the cement passing rearwardly through the said lastnamedv cylinder, a condensing cylinder arranged ooaxially and extending rearwardly from the conical spreader, and means for compressing the ground above the said cement receiving and condensing cylinders.

6. A machine Jfor making and laying underground tile, comprising a suitable frame, a standard extending downward therefrom, a cylinder secured to the lower end of the standard and adapted for producing a rounded passage underground, a cylinder rearward of the first-named cylinder and provided with a longitudinal slot through which cement may pass, means for supplying semi-liquid cement to said last-named cylinder, a guide tube extending through said last-named cylinder, a vertical guide communicating at its lower end with the guide tube extending through said cylinder, a conical spreader mounted on the rear end of the first named guide tube and projecting part way into the inclosing cylinder, a condensing cylinder pivotally connected to said guide tube rearward of said spreader, drain-slot producing knives carried by said condensing cylinder, a cable connected to` said knives and extending through said guide tubes, and means for operating said cable `to withdraw the knives to inoperative position.

In testimony whereof, we aix our signatures.

WILLIAM W. WATSON. JAMES S. WATSON.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o Patents, Washington, D. G. 

